Frankfort's Banktson Miss Basketball

November 28, 2006

DETROIT (AP) -- Brenna Banktson's coach saw a special player even when she was just tagging along with the team as an eighth-grader. Five years later, Michigan's basketball coaches have voiced their agreement with him. Banktson, a forward at Frankfort High School, was named the 26th recipient of the Miss Basketball award Monday. The award is given annually to a senior player by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan in conjunction with the Detroit Free Press. "I was just happy to know I was one of the 10 players in the final," Banktson said. "When I found out I had won it I was so excited." She received 398 points in voting for the award, 27 more than runner-up Carrie Snikkers of Hudsonville Unity Christian. Auburn Hills Avondale's Keshia Hines was third with 267 points. A captain since her sophomore season, the 5-foot-10 Banktson has helped lead the Panthers to a 90-11 record in her four years there. She's averaging 18.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.9 assists per game for Frankfort (20-5) and figures to repeat as a Class D all-state selection. She enters Tuesday's quarterfinals with 1,966 points and 841 rebounds as a varsity player. Banktson scored 16 points and had seven rebounds to help the Panthers defeat Lansing Christian 39-37 in last season's Class D state title game, giving the school its first girls basketball championship. She had 19 points and 12 boards in a semifinal win over Engadine. That performance, coupled with a schedule that saw Frankfort play perennial powers Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day and Byron Center this season, helped get Banktson noticed. "For a little public school in northern Michigan, this is great," Panthers coach Tim Reznich said. "It can be tough coming from a Class D school, but we upgraded our schedule to get her some exposure." Reznich took the head coaching job when Banktson was an eighth-grader serving as the team's manager. Even then, he saw a player who could hold her own against some of the Midwest's finest. "She would come to team and shooting camps with us and I snuck her in a couple of times," he said. "She'd go out there and go against some of the best players from Michigan and Ohio. "You just knew she could be something special then, and she's become such a great leader for us now." A reliable shooter close to the basket, Banktson embraced the physical aspect of playing in the post and gradually improved as a rebounder. Reznich said her leadership among a group of six seniors has been a plus during her final season. "Anything we've asked her to do, she's done," he said. "We knew she was a great player coming into the season, but she's really shown what kind of a leader she can be now." Banktson will enroll at Western Michigan University next fall and became just the second Broncos signee to win the award. Grandville's Kristen Koetsier played at Western after being named Miss Basketball in 1998. Frankfort's Jenny Loney, a Class D all-state selection after last season's championship run, is a freshman at Western Michigan. "It'll be great to play with Jenny again," Banktson said. "That was a big part of deciding to go there." The Panthers take on Bay City All Saints in a Class D quarterfinal Tuesday at Traverse City Central. The semifinals and finals are this weekend at Michigan State University.